Posse Social Mediahttps://possesocialmedia.com
A full service digital inbound marketing agency located in Charlotte NCMon, 11 Dec 2017 15:55:30 +0000en-UShourly14 Social Media Challenges to Overcome in 2018https://possesocialmedia.com/4-social-media-challenges-overcome-2018/
Mon, 11 Dec 2017 15:55:30 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19459One of the most exciting (and challenging) aspects of social media marketing is keeping up with ever-changing features, tools, trends, and best practices. We have identified four key social media challenges that many marketers will face in 2018, and we’ve even conjured up some viable solutions to help you forge ahead into the new year [...]

One of the most exciting (and challenging) aspects of social media marketing is keeping up with ever-changing features, tools, trends, and best practices. We have identified four key social media challenges that many marketers will face in 2018, and we’ve even conjured up some viable solutions to help you forge ahead into the new year with confidence.

The Unstoppable Rise of Video

You already know the importance of video in your social strategy, but there is one common mistake many marketers are tripping up on – making video just for the sake of having video. Many marketers overthink their video content and end up wasting time producing something that falls flat with their audience. Video is still one of the biggest social media challenges, though there are many simple yet effective solutions.

Keep it simple yet captivating. Remember to grab emotion with your video content and make the messaging relevant to your audience’s problem and how you can solve it. Brainstorm a few scenarios where you can go live on Facebook to showcase your culture (which is also great evergreen content). Encourage your employees to share your posts on their personal socials and share on-the-job photos when applicable.

Declining Organic Reach

Gone are the days where your post is easily seen by your desired audience (well, without paying for ad space). Brands are constantly fighting for attention in the news feeds of their audiences, and social platform algorithms are prioritizing things in such a way that makes the code difficult to crack. The bottom line is that you need to focus on long-term strategy over short-term tactics to get in front of your target demographic.

Be strategic with the content you are posting and pay attention to when your audience is online. Refer to your analytics to see which type of contest does best, and then capitalize on it. Remember, video, behind-the-scenes photos, and testimonials are great organic content for most industries.

Where Should I Advertise?

Competition is fierce among brands on Facebook, which is why many brands are seeking alternate ad solutions. Though Facebook remains the #1 contender for social advertising, there are other platforms that you should be exploring to maximize your online presence and collect quality leads. Consider exploring ads on LinkedIn and Instagram or other platforms where you currently post content. Both of those platforms have added valuable advertising features.

Trends, trends, trends

With so many new features on each social platform, how are you supposed to know which ones you really need to spend time getting familiar with? Many smaller brands are growing weary of the influx of new updates. We don’t blame you. We love it, but we understand that it is hard to keep up with social trends when you’re not in the thick of it every day.

Part of our client services includes tool research and implementation. We use the results of our findings to suggest which platforms and features you need to use to continue to be successful with your online audience. We’ll help you stay current by determining which tools will be best for your business growth.

]]>Still Nervous About Live Video?https://possesocialmedia.com/5-easy-use-live-video-apps/
Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:00:39 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19418 We constantly hear a recurring message: live video is intimidating. Make no mistake about it, becoming comfortable in front of a live broadcast is a common challenge for both novice and advanced video bloggers. Most people cringe when you mention broadcasting live on Facebook. They seem to be focused on trivial things like how [...]

We constantly hear a recurring message: live video is intimidating. Make no mistake about it, becoming comfortable in front of a live broadcast is a common challenge for both novice and advanced video bloggers.

Most people cringe when you mention broadcasting live on Facebook. They seem to be focused on trivial things like how they look on video or flubbing their lines. Fear can paralyze most marketers from taking action. Along with fear of being on camera comes an uncomfortable sense about using video technology.

The reality is that your audience is more focused on the message you are conveying and less on your delivery. Just be organic and real. We regularly offer our clients’ coaching, along with new ideas and techniques, all aimed at removing some of the unnecessary anxiety and fear of live video.

Keeping in that spirit, let’s look at some first-rate apps for going live. We found that the easiest to apps to navigate are web-based.

BeLive

BeLive may be one of the most well-known live streaming apps on the market. They offer a free trial period, and you can broadcast up to a full 20 minutes per week. Feel like starting a podcast? You can add up to three people on screen at one time. These features are only available with Facebook Live, and BeLive will brand the video accordingly unless you sign up for their Lite Subscription.

BeLive also provides you with the ability to add your own custom logo and screen share. It’s an easy-to-use web-based app that works well with both Mac and PC. Keep in mind that minor glitches tend to occur (which is true of any web-based video app).

Ecamm

Ecamm Live is a basic, inexpensive alternative (with a one-time fee of $29.95.) Ecamm is a Mac-only app that integrates directly with Facebook. It allows you to broadcast directly from your profile with any page or group.

An advantage to Ecamm Live is that they offer HD video streaming and chat options. On the thumbs-down side, adding guests to your broadcast is difficult. Using Skype or Zoom is an option but in order to capture the audio properly, you need to use another tool like Loopback for the sound option. Ecamm Live does not support screen-sharing or dropping in images during your live broadcast.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing tool that’s great for webcasting. It’s a lot like Skype, which cuts down on the learning curve. There are also several add-ons that allow for large guest audiences, along with live streaming to YouTube and Facebook Live. One of the biggest perks is the ability to save your live video. On the downside, it does not support image or video added into your broadcast.

Crowdcast

Adding multiple guests to your live video broadcast is a breeze with Crowdcast, and they offer a chat feature that gives your broadcast a neighborhood feel. You can easily simulcast to YouTube, Facebook, and Periscope, but keeping comments in check can be a bit messy. One in-your-face drawback is the price ($89.00 per month) which for most can be a deal breaker.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is one of the most powerful apps in the grouping and it’s completely FREE. It is designed for the advanced level user, but we would be remiss if we didn’t at least mention it. OBS Studio is available for both Mac and PC with broadcasting range to Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Periscope.

The advanced scene feature includes a “coming soon” element that has professional-grade transitions and music. There are many other features worth experimenting with, too.

On the down side, it is more resource hungry so it will not run on some PCs. The learning curve is much steeper, and it isn’t as intuitive as some of the other apps mentioned above.

Some other apps that deserve a mention are Wirecast, Lightstream, Switchboard, and Live Leap. With so many live streaming options available you are certain to find one that works well for you and your brand. Any of these apps can get you started down the live broadcasting path, and you will be able to put your tech phobias to rest once and for all.

Advancing your social image today includes video. We can help you build your comfort level with the concept of live video, as well as finding a video app that you are most comfortable using. Shake off your fear and give some of these apps a try. Many people end up enjoying the live connection with their audience, and the audience appreciates it, too.

]]>The Instagram Alternatives to Facebook’s Ad Saturationhttps://possesocialmedia.com/instagram-alternatives-facebooks-ad-saturation/
Mon, 20 Nov 2017 17:20:42 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19408Facebook is having a rough year. The Russia/election debacle being a main focus. Also troubling for the platform is that it hit maximum ad saturation sooner than predicted. Without getting too far into the Russian interference (you can read more about that here), Facebook was forced to completely change its approach to advertising, which has [...]

Facebook is having a rough year. The Russia/election debacle being a main focus. Also troubling for the platform is that it hit maximum ad saturation sooner than predicted.

Without getting too far into the Russian interference (you can read more about that here), Facebook was forced to completely change its approach to advertising, which has ultimately complicated marketing efforts.

Ad saturation is another huge problem that Facebook is battling. Ad saturation refers to the amount of virtual space available for ads. Currently, Facebook is out of space. To put it in other terms, there is only so much room on a newspaper page to include ads. Facebook has more ads than page space.

While avoiding Facebook is not an option since it is a home to a staggering one-third of the world’s population (2 billion monthly users), the platform is restructuring. While exceptionally frustrating, brands should consider other options for their ad budgets.

Instagram poses a lot of opportunities as a Facebook alternative. While the photo-sharing site is part of Facebook’s empire, it’s still a refreshingly simple platform with several creative ways for marketing your brand.

Instagram News Feed Ads

Instagram’s news feed offers a few of the same types of ads that you’re used to on Facebook: boosted posts, images, videos, and carousels. Ads in the news feed are generally extremely effective since the post blends in with the other content, and it’s common for users to “like” an ad before realizing that it’s not regular content.

Or once realizing it’s an ad with an intriguing image, users can easily click to the marketer’s profile to check out more of their content.

Boosted posts are the easiest ways for marketers to launch ads. It involves using content you’ve already posted, and simply hitting the “Promote” button on the bottom right of the post.

Other news feed ads, including video and carousel, can be created in Facebook’s Ads Manager, much like Facebook ads of the same sort.

Instagram Stories

Ads that run in Instagram Stories is a fairly new feature, (previously only available to 30 select brands beginning in January 2017).

Since Stories is crushing its rival Snapchat, more marketers are abandoning Snapchat for Stories. In addition to that shift, many users are now preferring to view Stories over the news feed, creating a huge opportunity for marketers.

Stories ads appear between the feeds of account users, creating a seamless flow into brand’s ads. This is another way for advertisers to blend into organic content. The ads can be a single photo or a 15-second video.

The biggest benefit of running ads within Stories is that you can use a link for viewers to click; links on Instagram are only available in one other location on the platform: the user account bio, which is typically used for a generic home page link (not a landing page). Links on Instagram are purposefully a near-nonexistent feature on the platform, so being able to share a direct link with users is a huge advantage.

In order to run these ads, you’ll need to create a campaign within Facebook’s Ads Manager or Power Editor.

Typically, influencers are Instagram users with 5,000k or more followers that are influential to consumers. Brands partner with them in creative ways in order to get their products in front of the influencer’s users.

Sixty-seven percent of marketers plan on increasing their influencer-marketing budget in the next year. There are variety of reasons for that. One reason is that people trust influencers, because influencers are authentic and their opinions on products are highly regarded.

The other reason to consider influencer marketing is because influencer campaigns can earn $6.85 for every dollar spent. That’s 11 times more than traditional digital campaigns.

Engagement

Back to the basics. Engaging with followers and potential followers is the cheapest (read, free) way to increase your brand awareness on Instagram. It’s also the best way to interact with your followers and niche community to build credibility on the platform.

Engaging, meaning liking and commenting, is a crucial part of an Instagram strategy and should not be overlooked or forgotten. Instagram is a more “human” way to sell your brand and engage your following. The platform sees more than 3 times the amount of engagement per post than Facebook does.

While Facebook is increasingly frustrating for marketers at the moment– and will likely continue to frustrate even more– there are other ways to sell your brand online. Instagram is a great alternative to its parent company. If your brand is seeing decreasing ROI on Facebook, consider shifting your resources to Instagram.

]]>How To Get Hired: Employeehttps://possesocialmedia.com/get-hired-employee/
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 17:39:41 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19398Social media managers are in a field that simply didn’t exist just over a decade ago, have a wide array of in-flux variables dictating the future of their careers, and often find themselves relying on crowd-sourced knowledge to tackle daily tasks. The common reaction (still) to people introducing themselves as a social media manager to [...]

]]>Social media managers are in a field that simply didn’t exist just over a decade ago, have a wide array of in-flux variables dictating the future of their careers, and often find themselves relying on crowd-sourced knowledge to tackle daily tasks.

The common reaction (still) to people introducing themselves as a social media manager to someone unfamiliar with the field involves a version of the statement, “So you play on Facebook all day?” Anyone who is familiar with the field knows that there’s no such thing as fun on Facebook these days. Kidding (mostly).

Social media managers often come from backgrounds and educational programs which didn’t provide a solid digital marketing foundation. As it turns out, that might be a good thing. According to Buffer, social media managers needed 10 essential skills to succeed this year alone. The skills range from behavioral psychology to budgeting. Yikes.

Many of the necessary abilities can be taught, or at least developed. But, there are several characteristics which need to already be a part of a social media manager. For us, we’ve found curiosity, adaptability, and copywriting to be the most essential traits on Buffer’s list of 10.

If you’re looking to get hired as a social media manager or if you think you’re going to hire an in-house social media manager, here’s an in-depth look at why those three characteristics have proven to be necessary and invaluable over our tenure as a digital marketing agency.

Curiosity

Google it. A simple phrase that has become commonplace in our digitally-dependent society. Need to know the best way to save a MacBook from drowning in spilled coffee? Google it (and maybe run to the nearest Apple store – you can Google the address). Need to know what sales your competitor is running for the holiday? Google that, too (and maybe score a great deal for the aunt you never know what to get). Ready to hire a social media marketer but don’t know what to look for? Hi. Glad you Googled it.

The point is, a digital marketer needs to have a “Google it” mentality. The trouble is, there are many, many times when there won’t be a clear-cut answer to a given problem or question. So, the marketer’s curiosity must not end with a simple search.

The information gathered in that search (or the lack of published resources) must then help the social media manager to make an informed next step. Often, the next step involves educated experimentation and knowing how to tweak efforts to shift results. Without an innate sense of curiosity, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to ever expect that a person will become an autonomous, successful digital marketer.

Adaptability

“The only thing that is constant is change.” Heraclitus got it right, though we’re pretty sure he wasn’t talking about digital marketing. Still, it’s crucial that anyone fulfilling the role of a digital marketing position not only be comfortable with the idea of change, but actually thrive in a state of flux.

People who do best or are happiest in consistent structure, rules that don’t often change, or situations they can predict with high confidence are not usually the best fits for a digital marketing role. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but at the very least, it’s likely the person won’t be happy in the role. Facebook releases changes and updates weekly, but sometimes even daily. Instagram is continuing its war to eliminate Snapchat, so frequent updates have been common there as well.

Social media managers need to accept that each day will look slightly different from the last and embrace the idea of being career students. Einstein said, “I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” He probably would have made a great social media manager.

Copywriting

We’ll get right to the point with this trait. It’s simple and obvious, but crucial. If you aren’t a good storyteller and empathetic listener, you won’t be a good copywriter. Beyond just mastering grammatical skills, you must be able to hear the challenges a business owner is facing and turn those into an actionable strategy. You must be able to share a story in such a way that encourages a stranger to take an action. On top of all of that, yes, you must be able to spell.

Hiring a Good Digital Marketer: Real-World Examples

Below are two samples from cover letters that portray what a good social media manager (based on Buffer’s qualification list & our years of experience) should embody. (Side note, these people got hired & are killin’ it.)

I’m a fun-loving, determined, friendly and creative individual. I love to help small businesses succeed by creating strategies that get them noticed and stay on the front lines of the competition. I can adapt and succeed with content creation for any industry, and I will meet clients with a smile!

For many years, I have been obsessed with how different social media shares content and communicates unheard voices, breaking news and videos of kittens. I started bartending after I left college and soon became immersed in Facebook and Twitter accounts for restaurants and bars. I prompted my bar manager to allow me to redesign the bar’s Facebook page and open Twitter and Instagram accounts. I then became the social media specialist and began designing posts for the bar’s franchise sister company. This experience opened my eyes to the opportunity that social media provides and inspired me to pursue this field more. Also, I’m addicted to clickbait.

Bottom Line: Getting Hired as a Digital Marketer

Know your stuff. What you don’t know, Google. What you can’t find on Google, start compiling experiment results and create content to help others. Write well, write often, and drink lots of coffee because Facebook is probably releasing a new update that negates everything you did yesterday – RIGHT NOW.

]]>Finding The Most Effective Instagram Hashtagshttps://possesocialmedia.com/finding-effective-hashtags/
Wed, 15 Nov 2017 18:24:20 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19389Instagram hashtags are the best (free!) tool for businesses to find their target audience and grow their brand. With that said, most brands don’t know which hashtags to use, and that’s okay. It’s a common mistake, because there’s not a lot of information on how to utilize the right hashtags. If you need a recap [...]

Instagram hashtags are the best (free!) tool for businesses to find their target audience and grow their brand. With that said, most brands don’t know which hashtags to use, and that’s okay. It’s a common mistake, because there’s not a lot of information on how to utilize the right hashtags.

Hashtags come in a variety of shapes and sizes. For brands new to Instagram or with a small following, who are looking to expand their presence on Instagram, choose hashtags that have 100,000 or fewer posts. This will help your posts be seen.

So how do you choose your hashtags?

There are several different ways to start your research. One is researching your competitors or inspiration accounts. You shouldn’t use the exact hashtags as your competitors, but it can be a place to start.

From there, you can start brainstorming different keywords that apply to your brand and your target audience.

Popular and Trending

Popular and trending hashtags are a great place to start your research. At the top of the hashtag Search page, there are other suggestions for similar hashtags.

You can also look at individual posts on the Search page to discover what other hashtags those accounts are using.

Note: If you have fewer than 10k followers, you likely shouldn’t use popular hashtags. It’s a waste of a hashtag opportunity, because smaller accounts don’t make the top 9 on Search pages; your posts will just get lost in the clutter.

Niche

Using keywords within your niche are where you’re going to find most of your good-quality hashtags. Also, you’ll build credibility within the Instagram algorithm, which means that Instagram will show your account and content to your target audience within your niche.

In order to do that, you need to target your hashtags to your niche.

Take into consideration what your business or brand sells. If you own a bakery, #bakery is too broad, but it can be where you start your research. Start large and narrow down your options.

The key is to start with keywords that you can research. For a bakery, that would be desserts, ingredients, sweet tooth, different types of baked goods, or anything else that makes you special or unique.

Some suggestions:

#veganbakery or #glutenfreeliving

#cupcakesofinstagram

#dessertfirst

Events and Campaign Hashtags

Industry shows usually have a hashtag. Though you may not be attending, that audience is posting pictures and looking at the hashtag feed. If you’re a bakery that makes wedding cakes, you can research different bridal expos and wedding expos that have a branded hashtag you can use, like Here Comes The Guide.

The same goes for campaigns. Other accounts in your niche will be crawling the Search page, so it’s a great opportunity for your brand to be seen by other accounts like yours.

Location

Locations have their own hashtags: states, cities, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc.. For small businesses, location hashtags can be a big help. If you’re based in Charlotte, there are many different hashtags you can use. There are a lot that are niche and location oriented, too.

Hashtags are the backbone of a great Instagram strategy. If your content is great, you should be engaging with your audience. If your follower count isn’t growing and/or your engagement is poor, you probably need to look at the hashtags you’re using (or not using).

]]>Solving the Mystery of Dark Socialhttps://possesocialmedia.com/tracking-dark-social/
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:36:17 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=19129Dark social is exactly what it sounds like - mysterious off-the-grid social sharing often unintentionally overlooked by marketers. It’s like an underground link sharing world. This mysterious sharing method is one that leaves many marketers “in the dark” when it comes to accurately measuring website visits. What is dark social? Have you ever shared a [...]

Dark social is exactly what it sounds like – mysterious off-the-grid social sharing often unintentionally overlooked by marketers. It’s like an underground link sharing world.

This mysterious sharing method is one that leaves many marketers “in the dark” when it comes to accurately measuring website visits.

What is dark social?

Have you ever shared a dinner recipe in an email? Have you spent lunch hours browsing gossip news sites and shared links to the stories with your co-workers in a group text?

If you have shared a website link anywhere but directly on social media, you have contributed to dark social.

The term ‘dark social’ first came about in 2012 from Alexis Madrigal, a contributing writer for The Atlantic. Madrigal describes it as “traffic that is invisible to website analytics”. This means your website analytics tools are not accurately tracking information shared through messaging apps, emails, or texts. These are private communication channels not automatically tracked by analytic data.

Don’t worry, we’ve all done it

Sharing a link to your intended recipient’s Facebook wall isn’t always going to be your first choice. This means that marketers must do a little extra dissecting on the analytics side.

Here’s why you need to care

Dark social is the most popular link sharing method. Think of all the articles you see shared on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. We are constantly sharing information. However, this method of sharing still rules them all. In fact, 84% of shares happen globally through dark social.

That’s too big of a number to ignore.

Messaging apps are swarming the social scene at a rapid pace. With messenger pioneers such as Slack, Facebook Workplace, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, we now have more ways than ever to share information. All of the links shared over these apps are categorized as dark social.

Where does dark social tracking happen?

Dark social results are recorded in Google Analytics. Uncovering the data requires a little more digging. To review, Google Analytics has two main analytic categories – direct and organic traffic. Direct traffic is any source that can be attributed to a manual search or a visit from a bookmarked page. Organic traffic is defined by visitors coming to your page through a search engine.

When Google can’t determine the exact source of a website visit, the data is dropped into the direct traffic category. Direct traffic becomes the junk drawer of your analytics. Instead of batteries, hot sauce packets, and directions to electronics you probably no longer own, it’s a slough of untrackable analytics that Google dumps into the direct traffic category – including dark social.

You can track dark social. Here are a few ways it can be done.

Dark social tracking apps

Luckily, there are companies who have heard our tracking concerns. Sites like GetSocial.io provide a way to track dark social through a WordPress plugin or a specific code to add to your site. Po.st gives insights that allow you to track analytics from copy, paste, and interactions with text and URLs from your website.

Google Analytics

Though Google Analytics doesn’t automatically segment this type of data, there is a way to set up advanced segments. The custom segments allow you to track dark social. It’s simple to do, but you want to make sure you are setting up the conditioning correctly. Your data will be incorrect otherwise.

Start tracking your dark social today. You’ll be surprised at the data you’ve been missing out on.

]]>Great Video Content Is About Being Authentichttps://possesocialmedia.com/great-video-content-authentic/
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 09:36:45 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=18931Bob Dylan famously said, “The times they are a changin.’” While it’s a decades-old reference to political and social change, it definitely applies to the fast-paced evolution of social media content, which video has come to dominate. There’s no longer denying that the shift into video-dominated content is the new standard for digital marketing. For [...]

Bob Dylan famously said, “The times they are a changin.’” While it’s a decades-old reference to political and social change, it definitely applies to the fast-paced evolution of social media content, which video has come to dominate. There’s no longer denying that the shift into video-dominated content is the new standard for digital marketing.

For small businesses, this can be an intimidating feat, and many tend to assume they don’t have the resources to make video content. Some are just scared of being on camera! Video isn’t going away, so we’re offering solutions to whatever reason you have for not incorporating video into your marketing strategy.

The New Business Landscape

The time is now for businesses to embrace video as the new medium for branding. People are consuming more video than ever. Sixty-two percent of the world’s internet users view digital video. As algorithms on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn place more value on video content, businesses need to make video a priority.

Be Authentic

Your audience wants real, honest delivery. They often overlook what people on camera would think is a mistake or a flub. Most people love that. Consumers want to purchase products from real people so be yourself.

There’s no need to be perfect. The main purpose is to not be a better version but your most real, authentic self. Before you start shooting, take some time to script out your dialogue and delivery, and practice before you begin. This small added step can be the difference between quality and frustration. Remember, just be human and people will connect with that.

Equipment Isn’t That Important

This doesn’t have to be a Steven Spielberg production. A lot of people assume they need an expensive camera to create video content. That isn’t true. Smartphones have high quality cameras, and you always have yours with you! This allows you to shoot wherever you are without breaking the bank.

Relax

If you think about everyday conversations, most people don’t stare at each other, so don’t stare into the camera (that can be uncomfortable for viewers). While you’re shooting, be as in-the-moment as you can, and use body language. Look at the camera only every so often, this will help further the connection without any awkward “deer in the headlights” effect.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It’s important that you find your balance and focus, and be natural. Be concerned about your audience by being helpful and informative. This simple approach will automatically lend itself to revealing your authority.

As more platforms move toward heavy video content, it’s important that businesses don’t fight this trend. It’s actually easier to just adapt it!

]]>A content strategy is your plan to create, publish, and control usable content on social media. Essentially, it is your way to give your audience consistent, valuable, and educational information in the form of blogs, graphics, videos, podcasts, infographics, social media posts, and more.

Building a great content strategy takes a little bit of time at first, but once you have all of the elements in place, you’ll be able to plug in each piece of content with ease. Here are the steps you can take to get started with your content strategy:

Research

First, think about your industry and your expertise. Find out what is trending, what topics people are searching for, and what questions they are asking that you can answer for them. Also, take a look at your own page’s analytics. Your own insights can give you an idea of what kind of content works and what you should probably avoid.

Audience

Next, learn who your target audience is and how they are consuming information. If your target audience is millennials, they are likely spending the majority of their time on Instagram, Facebook, and maybe Snapchat, and they are probably using their mobile device to look at these platforms. Your content strategy should reflect that, focusing most of your content publishing and advertising budget on those platforms.

Competition

You should also analyze your competition. What is working – or not working – for them? Remember, your competition is not an obstacle to overcome, but rather an opportunity to better your own brand. Understanding your competitors’ content plan allows you to create a path of growth and differentiation for your brand.

SEO

Finally, don’t forget to boost your content with keywords. This applies not only to your blogs and the content on your website pages but also to your Tweets and Facebook posts. Google’s crawlers do find and archive your social media posts, so make sure you are posting valuable content relevant to your industry. All of your blogs and website pages should be optimized for SEO, too. WordPress plugins like Yoast make this easy to do.

When you take the time to set up a content strategy and do the initial research, you’ll find out that curating content for your brand isn’t so hard after all. But we know you, as a business owner, are busy with the daily aspects of running a business. So, of course, you can always find an agency that has expert content-creation skills to help you crush the competition and boost your business online.

]]>Everything Your Business Needs to Know About LinkedIn’s New Updateshttps://possesocialmedia.com/everything-your-business-needs-to-know-about-linkedin-new-updates/
Fri, 20 Oct 2017 19:18:26 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=18209LinkedIn has been seeking more interactive ways for users to display their authentic selves and drive engagement, whether they are promoting their personal or company brand. They have launched many new features this year in order to achieve that goal. Some of the updates you may have already noticed and some have been more subtly [...]

]]>LinkedIn has been seeking more interactive ways for users to display their authentic selves and drive engagement, whether they are promoting their personal or company brand. They have launched many new features this year in order to achieve that goal. Some of the updates you may have already noticed and some have been more subtly incorporated – or under-utilized.

What We’ve All Been Waiting For – Video

LinkedIn recentlyrolled out native video to select accounts. You may have seen some bigger players (likeForbes andAmazon) incorporating video into their posts.

75 million people in the United States alone watch online videos every day, so this was a smart (and long overdue) move for LinkedIn.

As of now, it appears that the feature is only available on mobile. If you don’t have the video option yet, don’t worry – the feature will soon be rolling out to all members globally.

New Insights & Targeting

LinkedIn has been due for more detailed targeting and actionable insight performance metrics for quite some time.

LinkedIn added theirInsight Tag option to track clicks to your website from Sponsored Content, Sponsored InMail, or LinkedIn Text Ads. Much like Facebook’s Pixel tracking, the Insight Tag is a small piece of javascript (non-javascript version available also) code that you add to your website to track conversions, retarget website visitors, and unlock other pertinent data about your prospects.

You can also create conversion tracking actions and add them to a campaign. For example, actions can include a purchase, form completion, or a contact button click. You are then able to see the actions someone took after they clicked your ad.

Hashtags

Though Twitter and Instagram rule the hashtagging world, LinkedIn wanted to capitalize on this extremely effective way to organize, search, submit, and filter content.

Adding relevant hashtags to your LinkedIn company summary page, job description, and page headline give your brand the opportunity to show up in a hashtag search. But, like other platforms,don’t overdo the hashtags. Be strategic and remember, quality over quantity.

It is too early to determine the overall success of hashtags on LinkedIn, but now is definitely the time to incorporate them into your LinkedIn strategy to increase brand and content visibility.

Multiple Photos in Posts

Can I get a “finally”? LinkedIn now allows users to upload up to nine images to a post. If you went to an impressive conference and met an influencer, or you held a photo-worthy event, you no longer have to choose the winning photo to feature.

Geofilters (coming soon)

Speaking of conference highlights, LinkedIn announced that they will be launching the ability to create geofilters directly in the LinkedIn app. Much like Snapchat filters, geofilters will give users another way to connect and network with individuals within the targeted areas, as well as create brand awareness for businesses that create filters.

In its infancy, LinkedIn will be mostly controlling which events are eligible for geofilters. Their focus is on major conferences and high-profile events.

New Blogging Interface

Now you cancreate an article on LinkedIn right from the post section on the homepage. Gone are the days of navigating to LinkedIn Pulse to write a blog. Blogging on LinkedIn is a great way to establish your professional presence individually, and as a company. The easy composition access encourages marketers to share or repurpose their content directly on the platform.

Time will tell if all of these new updates bolster the platform’s audience growth and/or generate more engagement with the current user base. If your audience is on LinkedIn, now might be the time to start thinking about LinkedIn campaigns.

]]>Instagram Hashtag Strategy: How to Hack the Search Algorithmhttps://possesocialmedia.com/instagram-hashtag-strategy-part-one-the-search-algorithm/
Tue, 17 Oct 2017 09:00:50 +0000https://possesocialmedia.com/?p=18184This is part of an Instagram hashtag strategy series. This post focuses on ways to be found in the Top Posts algorithm. If this topic feels overwhelming, start with the conclusion and work your way back up. Still need help? We’re here for you. Hashtags have been evolving since their creation in 2009 on Twitter. [...]

This is part of an Instagram hashtag strategy series. This post focuses on ways to be found in the Top Posts algorithm. If this topic feels overwhelming, start with the conclusion and work your way back up. Still need help? We’re here for you.

Hashtags have been evolving since their creation in 2009 on Twitter. Now, hashtags are part of spoken slang and are used in campaigns for brand engagement and to categorize types of content.

When it comes to Instagram, using hashtags is the best way for people to find your brand’s account. Hashtags help increase exposure, likes, comments, and follows. If used correctly, hashtags are meant to build your company or brand within your niche, or to put it another way, to find potential clients, to allow potential clients to find you, and to build brand loyalty (the ultimate goal).

Building within your niche is a critical component of Instagram success that most people either don’t know or don’t understand. Many people think that having a large number of followers is the most important goal for Instagram, and many even buy followers (don’t do this– ever).

While having a large number of followers is an eventual goal, you can’t grow your business if your account has fake, irrelevant, or bought followers. These types of followers don’t engage with your brand, they usually unfollow, and ultimately, they will not buy from you; therefore, do not spend your time, resources, or money on these followers.

Instead, spend time defining your niche and who you’re selling to. If you sell kid’s shoes, target moms, retail boutiques, and mom bloggers. If you sell B2B, target accounts and brands within the industries you sell to.

Fake followers bad. Real followers good. So how do you find the real ones?

Top Posts vs. Most Recent

Hashtags mostly affect the Search Feed, which is the page you land on when you search for a hashtag. By setting your sights on ranking in the Top Posts results, your account will be seen by more people, your post will receive more engagement, and you can gain more relevant followers.

The Search Feed has two sections: Top Posts and Most Recent. For clarity, let’s use the hashtag search feed for #wanderlust.

The Most Recent section, which appears below Top Posts, is a reverse-chronological feed of posts using #wanderlust. Reverse chronological order means most recently posted.

The Top Posts section is the top 9 posts using #wanderlust. The algorithm for Top Posts relies on an equation of 4 factors: likes, comments (these weigh more than likes), time, and a relevance score (more on that later).

To get to the top 9, your post has to have better engagement (i.e. comments and likes) and a better relevance score than all of the other posts using that hashtag within a certain time period. The time period depends on the size of the hashtag. For larger hashtags like #wanderlust, the time period is shorter, most likely a few minutes to hours. For smaller hashtags like #cltdining, the time period can be days or even weeks.

It’s not likely for most businesses or brands to rank in the top 9 of a large hashtag, and since so many people use large hashtags, your time in the Most Recent feed will be buried quickly and probably not seen at all.

Hashtag Opportunities

Instagram allows each post to have 30 total hashtags. While there is some argument that using all 30 is “spammy,” many people ignore hashtags within a post anyway, so they won’t notice or care if there are 15 hashtags or 30. As long as #sentences aren’t #written with #too many #hashtags, viewers will likely not notice your hashtag amount.

View each hashtag as an opportunity. Each hashtag, or opportunity, is a chance for your post to be seen. If you use 30 hashtags, your post will show up in 30 different search feeds, which is great for getting eyes on your business.

When you make a post, use 1-7 hashtags within your text. These hashtags will change based on the content of your post.

The remaining hashtags, usually ~21, will usually not change for weeks or months. Put these in the first comment within 3 minutes of posting. Any comments or likes that you receive before the hashtags are posted will not count toward your engagement score for Top Posts, so it’s crucial you post the hashtags as quickly as you can.

Tip: Use your Notes or Evernote app to store your ~21 hashtags. Simply copy and paste them into the comment section when you post to Instagram.

Hashtag Size

As mentioned before, using a hashtag that’s too large for an account’s followers and engagement rate means that your post can’t compete for Top Posts. Don’t waste a hashtag “opportunity” on a hashtag you can’t compete with (example: #business).

If your account has fewer than 10k followers– as is the case for many businesses on Instagram — then you need to compete with hashtags that have 100k or fewer. If you’re a local business, we suggest using even smaller hashtags.

Relevance Score

Relevance within your news feed is determined by how often you like or comment on an account’s posts.

The relevance score for the Search Feed appears to be based on how often you use hashtags. To build within your niche, you need to use consistent hashtags for each post. This shows Instagram’s bots that your account is relevant to hashtags you use. The algorithm assumes that if your account has a good relevance score, then you should be relevant to people searching for those hashtags.

If you change your hashtags with each post, you won’t have as high of a relevance score, which hurts your chances of appearing in the Top Posts.

What Does all of This Mean for My Business?

A lot, actually. Instagram is a vital platform for an array of business sizes, industries, and customer bases. Understanding just how to best use it for your business, however, can be challenging. Above all, remember that a key to using Instagram (or any social platform) is to be authentic and engage with conversation. Show off how awesome your business, products/services, and people are online. Listen to feedback. Get in on the talk happening in your community.

When you’re ready to take your Instagram game to the next level, consult a strategist for help navigating the algorithms and hashtag strategy.

If you’re searching for advice on Instagram hashtag strategy, this is an introduction to how Instagram’s hashtag algorithm works. It is confusing at first, especially if you don’t use Instagram for business regularly. For any questions, feel free to contact us here.